Car-step



G. AGILBERT AND G. H. STEPHENS.-

CAR STEP.

APPLICATION FILED SEPI. I9, I9I9.

l 1 ,34 1, 3 1 O. Patented May 25, 1920.

ATTGH N EY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORG-E A. GILBERT, 0F BREWSTER, AND GRACE H. STEPHENS, OF PATTERSON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS 0F ONE-THIRD TO DANIEL M. STEPHENS, OF PATTERSON, NEW

YORK.

CAR-STEP.

Application illediseptember 19, 1919.

To all wiz/0m t may concern Be it known that we, Grenen A. (.'lriLenn'r and GRACE ll. STEPHENS, citizens of the 4United States, residing at Brewster and lat terson, respectively, both in the county of Putnam and State of New lork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Steps, of which the following 1s a specification.

This invention relates to car steps, and more particularly to a car step of the extension type.

One of the main objects of the invention is to provide a supplemental step for. cars which may be readily applied to the frame of the step of common construction now used in which the'bottoin step of the flight is usually spaced a considerable distance above the giound surface, this supplemental step being capable of being lowered to within a short distance of the ground surface. A further object is to provide a supplemental step of the character stated and simple and efficient means for raising Vand lowering 'the saine and securing it in adjusted position. Another object is to provide a supplemental step and supporting means therefor which may be produced at relatively small cost, this supporting means being so constructed as to be readily applied to the side frame of the rigid car step without necessitating any appreciable alteration in the construction of the same. Further objects will appear from the detailed description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of a supplemental step showing an ad'usting means therefor constructed in accor ance with my invention as applied to a usual type of car step,

Fig. 2 is a front view of the same.

,j The car steps A are of standard construction, the step boards or lights 1 bein supported between the downwardly an outwardly inclined side boards 2. The steps or stairs constructed in this manner are of wellknown construction and project downwardly and outwardly from the platform of the car. A supporting frame 3 is slidably mounted on each side board 2, on the outer surface thereof. This frame 3 is provided with side bars 4 and 5, lower end bar 6, and upper end bar 7. The upper end bar is provided, at each end, with an outwardly and downwardly curved ear 8. These ears are curved so as to fit snugly about the upper Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, `1.920.

Serial No. 324,896.

portion of bearing rollers 9 which arerotatably mounted on the end portions of cross rods 10 secured through the side boards 2 of the frame. These rollers 9 are positioned in horizontal alinement, and are so spaced as to snugly receive between them the side bars l and 5 of frame 3. The rollers thus act as guide members and also as stops for positively limiting downward movement by a hand latch 1G and is provided at its lower end with a head 17 adapted to engage i into a cooperating recess formed in the upper face of a plate 19 secured to the outer face of side board 2 adjacent the inner edge thereof. Plate 19 is so positioned that, when head 17 is in engagement with the recess formed therein, the slidable frame 3 will be held in raised position by lever 11 as shown in Fig. 1.

A supplemental step 20 is secured between the lower ends of the frames 3 and is of such length as to extend the full width of the stair frame which supports rigidly the stair iights 1. When in raised position, this supplemental step tits snugly beneath the lowerinost flight l of the rigid step. By releasing liand levers 11 from plate 19, the frame 3 will slide downwardly by gravity so as to bring the step 2O in position below' the loweimost flight l and to within a short distance of the ground surface, thus facilitating entry of persons into the car. This downward movement of the supplemental step is positively limited by engagement of the arcuate ears 8 with the rollers 9. The rollers thus serve to support the supple mental step in lowered position, as indicated in Fig. 1. Also, as the ears 8 are curved downwardly and engage about the upper portions of the rollers, the rollers coperate with the ears to prevent looseness or play forwardly or rearwardly of the frame 3. To securely brace the frame 3 against rearward movement, we provide rollers 21 adjacent the lower end of each side board 2. These rollers are mounted on a cross rod 22 secured through the side boards and positioned intermediate the two lower steps or llights l and are so related to the lower side bars 5 of the frames as to form supporting members therefor. The rollers 9 and 21 cooperate to provide anti-friction bearings for the slidable frame, and also serve to secure the frame against rearward movement in the manner described. When it is desired to return the supplemental step to raised or inoperative position, this is readily accomplished by swinging the hand lever 1l downwardly and outwardly so as to bring the lower end thereof above plate 19, after which the detent 17 is moved into engagement with the recess in this plate, thus releasably locking the slidable frame 3 for the supplemental step, composed of the side bars 4 and 5 in raised position.

lt will be evident that means other than illustrated may be used for raising and lowering the supplemental step, but for ordinary purposes we prefer to use the hand lever shown. lt will also be evident that there may be slight changes made in the construction and arrangement of the different parts of our invention without departing from the field and scope oit' the same, and we intend to include all such variations, as fall within the scope of the appended claim, in this application in which a preferred form only ol our invention is disclosed.

That we claim is:

In car steps, a rigid step frame extending :it an angle, a pair of horizontally alined rollers mounted on said frame, a single roller mounted beneath the outermost of said pair of rollers, a second frame, bearing against the innermost of the iirst mentioned pair oi rollers and the bottoni roller, a horizontal member on the upper end of said second 'frame terminating in semi-circular ears designed to rest upon the pair of rollers when the frame is in the lower most position, and a car step carried by the lower end of said second frame.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signutures in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE A. GILBERT.

GRACE H. STEPHENS.. im] Witnesses SIDNEY T. CARTER,

HENRY B. STEPHENS.

Al O 

